Marauders Forever
by Kila9Nishika
Summary: Three strikes, and you're out.  James has only so much patience for ineptitude when it comes to taking care of his loved ones...
1. Marauders Forever

**Disclaimer:** As I am a simple person who does not own tons and tons of money, I must admit to being a plain American girl, and not JK Rowling. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter and the connected involved characters. Oh, well...

**Canon until post-Ootp. Then my imagination takes over.**

***I still exist! There will be more from other stories coming! But school is just getting a little bit in the way! Here goes - my for-now oneshot that could very well become a full-out story. But only if people like it!***

* * *

What is it, about humanity and the number three? Three guesses, three strikes, three choices, three Fates…

If you asked Remus Lupin, he would give you that little smile that made him look oh-so-innocent, and explain something long and esoteric about three being a powerful magical and structural number, stronger than five and nine. Sirius Black would blink at you and mumble something about triangles and spells. James Potter would run his hand through his hair and say something about balance. And Peter Pettigrew would probably squeak and stare at you in confusion.

But whatever the reason, three is the number of chances that the Wizarding World, both Voldemort and Dumbledore, got.

* * *

**One**

"They're dead," Lily gasped, her face streaming with tears. "Oh, Merlin, James – they're dead! And Tuney even blames me for it – not that I blame her, I would…" Her words grew unintelligible as she buried her face into James' chest.

Therefore, she did not notice an angry shadow flash across James' normally gentle brown eyes. Dumbledore could have protected Lily's parents. He hadn't.

Strike One.

* * *

**Two**

The door to Sirius' flat slammed open, and Remus stumbled into the room. Sirius dropped the glass he was holding, and dashed over to the trembling werewolf.

"Remus, what –?"

Remus gave a pained smile. "Death Eaters," he rasped. "Tried… to recruit me. Told them… no."

Stiffening, Sirius drew his wand, and jabbed it sharply in the direction of his fellow Marauder. A bluish chart appeared for a moment, but Sirius just glanced at it before nodding sharply and dashing over to Heal some of Remus' wounds.

One of the wounds was oozing with black glue – a silver wound. Sirius' eyes hardened, charging from a gentle grey to an icy silver.

Strike Two.

* * *

**Marauders**

"Are we agreed on this?" James flicked a glance around the room. Only two years ago, not one person in this room would have dreamed of using a Dark Ritual like this one. But now… days were getting Darker.

Her eyes like emerald fire, Lily Potter lifted her chin and nodded, her face eerily shadowed by the candles set about the room.

Shadows contrasting oddly with his dark hair and pale skin, Sirius looked almost vampiric as he nodded his assent.

A faint, wolfish smile was all that Remus gave as a response – but it was enough.

Peter looked nervous, and even sweatier than usual, but nodded shakily as well.

Running his left hand through his hair, James drew his wand. "Right then. I'll start." Slashing his wand in a sharp movement, James sliced his left palm directly down the life line, spilling blood into a small, stone bowl.

"Yr wyf fi, y hydd galon, yn ddifrifol Tyngu i fod yn wir Ffyddlon at yr ysbeilwyr. Yr wyf yn Rhegi Trwy Ein Llw, bod Os Un o'r Ni fradychu y Rest, Bod Os Maent Die Yn lle hynny."

"_I, the Stag Hearted, do Solemnly Swear to be Truly Loyal to the Marauders. I Swear By Our Oath, that Should One of Us Betray the Rest, That They Should Die Instead._" (Welsh)

Sirius moved forward next, slicing open his hand and spilling his blood as well.

"I tristes pusillanimes levavi non vere fideles latronibus. Testor juramento, quod si unus ex nobis traditurus ceteris, sed omnes morerentur."

"_I, the Grim Hearted, do Solemnly Swear to be Truly Loyal to the Marauders. I Swear By Our Oath, that Should One of Us Betray the Rest, That They Should Die Instead._" (Latin)

Lily swept forward, looking, James thought, like some warrior goddess from ancient times.

"Mé leis an anam an Pocaire gaoithe, a thabhairt do mo mhionn go sollúnta a bheith fíor dílis don marauders. Bind mé mé féin ar ár Mionn, Más rud é go bhfuil ceann de Linn feall ar an chuid eile, Go chóir siad Die In ionad!"

"_I with the soul of the Kestrel, do Solemnly give my oath to be Truly loyal to the Marauders. I Bind Myself to Our Oath, that Should One of Us Betray the Rest, That They Should Die Instead._" (Irish Gaelic)

Still smiling in a rather canine-like way, Remus took his place.

"Io, Remus, Figlio del Lupo, giuro solennemente di essere veramente fedeli al Marauders. Giuro per il nostro giuramento, che se una delle tradirci il resto, che avessero dovuto morire invece."

"_I, Remus, Son of the Wolf, Do Solemnly Swear to be Truly Loyal to the Marauders. I Swear By Our Oath, that Should One of Us Betray the Rest, That They Should Die Instead._" (Italian)

And finally, shaking like a leaf, Peter stepped forward for his place.

"Y-Yo, alma de rata, juro solemnemente que verdaderamente fiel a los Merodeadores. Juro Por Nuestro Juramento, que si uno de traicionarnos el resto, los que deberían morir en lugar."

"_I, __Rat Soul, Do Solemnly Swear to be Truly Loyal to the Marauders. I Swear By Our Oath, that Should One of Us Betray the Rest, That They Should Die Instead._" (Spanish)

James took up the lead again, smoothly finishing.

"By Blood, Bone, Magic, and Soul, So It Is Done – Sic Fiat!" (_So Mote It Be_, Latin)

* * *

**Three**

James' eyes widened as he felt the wards collapse. "No," he whispered. "_Peter_."

Lily's eyes blazed. "How could he? The ritual…?"

James shook his head. "Grab Harry, and go. I'll hold him off till Sirius and Remus get help."

Nodding, Lily snatched their son from his crib, and dashed up the steps. The door to their bedroom had barely shut, before the door to their home smashed into millions of splinters.

James fought the best he could – this was his fourth ever duel with Voldemort, and he – wasn't – going – to – give – in!

But then a bit of rubble from the fight – oh, the woes of Reductos – became his stumbling block. In an effort to escape one of Voldemort's nastier curses, James tripped, and landed on the ground.

Voldemort smiled. "You put up a good fight, James Potter," he hissed. "Join me, and I shall make you great!"

James spat at the Dark Lord. "Marauders Forever. Sic Fiat!"

Voldemort laughed, a high, cold laugh that sent chills up James' spine. And then, before he could scramble away –

"Avada Kedavra."

James tried to dodge, but he couldn't, he couldn't, and all he could think was _I am so sorry, Lily_, and then the green light filled his eyes –

Agony exploded through his every cell, green light invading every part of his mind, and James suddenly felt as if he was both himself, and yet also Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, and Harry and Voldemort –

Sirius choked, clutching at his chest, green light filling his eyes as he tumbled to the floor of his flat.

Lily cried out, clinging to her son, as she fell forward onto hers and James' bed.

Remus gasped, his eyes blazing gold and green, as he sank to the floor of his bedroom.

Harry felt fire, fire, green, hot, fire, burning burning burning burning –

Peter Pettigrew, from his apartment, screamed and screamed and _screamed_, green light filling his home as the life left his eyes. A lightning-shaped scar ripped across his face, spilling blood onto the floor of his apartment.

Voldemort screamed, his body collapsing into ash as his spirit fled Godric's Hollow.

And, suddenly, abruptly, James found himself back on the floor of his house. Within moments, Lily had come thundering back down the stairs, with Sirius and Remus Apparating in within moments of each other.

"Peter," Sirius and Remus said; their eyes were hard. Lily nodded. "Did you feel it too?" she asked.

James nodded slowly. "Yes," he whispered. "But first – he is defeated, for a time, but Voldemort is not dead. And I've had enough of the Wizarding World failing us, haven't you guys?"

Sirius scowled. "Oh, I agree wholeheartedly." Remus just nodded mutely.

A smirk spread across James' face, and he flicked his wand in a way that Hogwarts students and graduates might recognize. Emblazoned in the sky, there was now a crimson stag and Grim, encircled by a moon and guided by a kestrel. Beneath the strange sigil was the shape of two open hands, cupping the entire thing.

Sirius stared, his eyes glistening. "To the True Marauders," he whispered. "Sic Fiat."

Remus and Lily locked gazes, and nodded. "Sic Fiat."

James took Harry from Lily's arms, and smiled coldly. "Semper Fidelis, Sic Fiat," he said. (_Forever Loyal, So Mote it Be,_ Latin)

Strike Three.

All of their chances were over – Wizarding Britain, watch out. Here come the True Marauders.

**FIN**


	2. Plans

**Disclaimer:** As I am a simple person who does not own tons and tons of money, I must admit to being a plain American girl, and not JK Rowling. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter and the connected involved characters. Oh, well...

**Canon until post-Ootp. Then my imagination takes over.**

***I still exist! There will be more from other stories coming! But school is just getting a little bit in the way!***

* * *

When it comes to finding extraordinary things, most people expect some sort of sign.

If you asked James Potter where he would look for something extraordinary, he would probably frown for a moment, and then say something along the lines of, "Someplace grand?"

If you asked Sirius Black where he would look for something extraordinary, he would get a faraway look in his eyes. "Somewhere horrible."

Remus Lupin would answer something involving significance to the extraordinary thing, while Lily Potter would mumble something about a place for something extraordinary being "something like Hogwarts."

The thing about extraordinary things, though, is that they can occasionally be found in the most insignificant and ordinary of places.

Which was probably why, in hindsight, it was a good idea for the Marauders to choose Sirius' flat in Muggle London to reconvene and discuss plans…

_Crack!_ Sirius Apparated into the room for the fifth time, his arms filled with books. Lily, who was seated at a rickety table _covered_ in books, looked up.

"Thanks again, Pads." Grabbing the books out of his hands, she began flipping pages swiftly. At the other side of the room, Remus was writing something on a scrap of parchment. On the couch, James was holding a sleeping Harry, his eyes wide with worry behind his spectacles.

A few moments of silence passed, broken only by the scratching of two quills, until Lily suddenly grabbed her wand off of the table and began muttering under her breath.

James stood up. "Lils?"

A bright blue light erupted from Lily's wand, causing her to jerk in surprise. Turning so swiftly that she knocked a pile of books onto the floor, Lily scribbled a couple more equations onto her parchment, and then sank back into her chair with satisfaction. "Got it."

Remus dropped his quill, and grabbed Sirius' arm. "Got what?" Lily had that look on her face, the one she got when she figured out something momentous.

She grinned. "The ritual – we weren't so sure why it acted the way it did. I figured it out."

All of the men relaxed, although Sirius' fingers rose to brush the faint scar that had erupted onto the skin of his forehead – on all of their foreheads, in fact.

"You see," she began, "We thought that a direct betrayal would be punished directly. What we didn't realize, was that the betrayal would only be punished _if it caused harm_. And, it would only be punished _as that harm was being caused_. Therefore, it was only as Voldemort tried to kill James that the ritual kicked in. Unfortunately, the backlash, well," she stumbled over her words for a moment. "The best way to say it is that the backlash backlashed on itself, because Peter wasn't the being _physically_ causing the harm, but was the direct cause by second degree, thus fulfilling the ritual's rules."

Remus grabbed Lily's parchment covered in equations, looking it over. "Oh…" he breathed, "I see. The three components of the ritual, with three of one faithful and one of one faithful and one of one faithful, the backlash canceled itself out, but because that would violate the parameters of the ritual's effects, it doubled back instead of cancelling…"

Lily nodded. "I am not _quite_ certain why we all received Sowilo scars," she brushed her fingers to the one on her own forehead, "but it is representative of the victory of light over darkness, and good over evil. Heat over the cold, summer over winter, life over death…" she trailed off.

The clock struck, tolling midnight. Everyone stared reflexively at the noisy object as October rolled into November. Harry woke up and began crying, looking around the room confusedly. Sirius let out a gusty sigh.

"Right," he said. "I'll Apparate into the Alley and get some more food, you brains figure out what we're doing next."

James looked up from his son. "What about me?"

Sirius snorted, and turned on the spot. _Crack!_

Lily rolled her eyes, and refocused. "Goof," she mumbled affectionately. "Remus, what do you have?"

Remus unrolled his sheet of parchment. "The first question is what we want to do with the Wizarding World, being that James has a seat on the Wizengamot and all general law-making procedures –"

_Crack!_

Sirius was back. Under one arm, he had what seemed to be a box of crackers. In his hands, though, he was gripping something tightly, his face paler than pale.

Remus dashed over to him like a shot. "Sirius, what's wrong?"

Sirius, shaking slightly, lifted what he was holding into the air – an issue of the Daily Prophet. The headline emblazoned across the front made Remus suck in a large breath of air.

_**SIRIUS BLACK BETRAYS POTTERS TO YOU-KNOW-WHO! Any sightings of Black should be reported to the MLE immediately – see article.**_

Lily gaped, her mouth moving silently as her brain attempted and failed to come up with venomous enough expletives. James, meanwhile, had no such quandaries, as he inventively and vindictively began to curse.

"….bloody buggering –"

"James Charles Potter! You be quiet this_ instant _so that I can _think!_"

James shut his mouth.

Lily snatched the paper, ignoring the box that had fallen to the floor, and Remus' barely-understandable mumbles of comfort to Sirius.

"Bugger!"

The men all turned to Lily and gaped. Lily _never_ swore.

"Listen to this," she spat, "It says here, 'Albus Dumbledore, Chief of the Wizengamot, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Order of Merlin First Class, has given us proof that Black was, without a doubt, a Death Eater and the Potters' Secret Keeper.'" Scowling furiously, she crumpled up the newspaper and hurled it at the wall. "Even if we came forward with incontrovertible proof that Sirius was innocent, they'd likely throw him into Azkaban anyway!"

Sirius was shaking – he had faced Dementors once, and it had not been pleasant in the least. Remus gripped Sirius' forearm. "Lily?"

Lily stood up, her eyes flashing. "This whole world… I was once so enamored of it, you know? But it's insane! Absolutely and utterly blasted ballistic! The idea that the word of one man means more than anything else in the world? And the repeated Dark Lords? Marchkoff, Grindlewald, Voldemort, this is _it!_"

All three men stared at her. Cautiously, James spoke up. "Lily?"

Lily shook her head, walking over to take Harry from James' arms. "Even if Sirius turned himself in and we presented ourselves in his defense, it is only too likely that they'll shove him into Azkaban anyway! I'd say the best idea is to somehow leave the Wizarding World!"

James sank tiredly into Sirius' half-broken sofa. "Problem is, Lils, if we did that, either Sirius' relatives or Dumbledore would get our money, not to mention our political power. Any friends we left behind…"

Lily nodded slowly. "You're right…"

Harry shifted in her arms. "Paf't? Right?"

Sirius smiled weakly. "I'm fine, Prongslet. Just fine."

Harry tugged on Lily's hair. "Where Ma'lis?"

Lily stiffened. "Alice. Alice and Frank and Neville. Oh, Merlin, what are we going to do…"

A knock on the door startled them all out of their thoughts. Everyone turned to face Sirius, whose eyes were wide. "Nobody should be able to get here, it's under Fidelius…" he turned to Remus.

Remus shook his head. "I swear, I told no one."

Hesitantly, with his wand out, James approached the door and opened it slowly.

"Holy fuck!"

Lily stood up angrily. "James, language!" Walking up behind her husband, she froze. "What the…"

Standing in the doorway, smiling cheerfully, was a tiny blonde girl on a thestral.

"He'o," she said, "I Lulu Lagud."


End file.
